Wheel-harrow



QNo Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet `1. B. MALTBY.

WHEEL HARROW.

N0. 313,354. Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

WIT/VESSES //v VEA/70H (No Model.) v 3' Sheets-Sheet 2.

B,v 'MALTBY- WHEEL HARRO'W. No. 313,354. l Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

A #orne ys (No Model.) .3 Sheets-Sheet 3. B. MALTBY. WHEEL HARROW.A

No. 313,354. Patented Mar. 3, 1335.

A Home UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. BENJAMIN MALTBY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WH EEL-HARROW.

v SP/ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NQ. 313,354, dated March 3, 1885.

Application tiled August 2, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN lNIALTBY, of

Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga andA provide a flexible harrow that will conform to uneven surfaces of the ground, and so arranged that the raising of a harroW-tooth-as, for instance, by an obstruction--will not materially affect the other teeth of the harrow; and to this end, iirst, the harrow is arranged in two parts, that are hinged together on aline at right angles to the axle; second, supporting -bars are provided with independent draft-rods oonnecting each supporting-bar with the wheelframe, by means of which each supportingbar may be more or less raised or depressed without materially affecting the other supporting-bars; third, tooth-bars are provided, with a harrow tooth attached to either end, andy connected, respectively, at the center of the bars by elastic attachments to the respective supporting-bars, by means of which the tooth-bars may be tilted, so that when a tooth is raised or depressed the other tooth on the same bar will not be materially affected.

A further object is to improve the mechanism for raising or lowering the harrow.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter dec scribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my improved wheelharrow. Fig. 2is aplan view ofthe same. Fig. 3is a view in side elevation of the mechanism for raising and depressing the harrow. Fig. et is a view in front elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged View in perspective ot' one of the tooth-bars with the teeth in position, and showing also the elastic attachments by which the tooth-bar is connected with a supportingbar. Fig. 6 is a side View in elevation of a portion of the harrow. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of a portion of the seat-frame and the attached mechanism for raising and lowering the harrow. Fig. 8 is a plan View of the harrow with the Wheel-frame omitted. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of plate d.

A represents the axle, and B the Wheels.

C are wooden bars secured to the axle in the position shown, and extend forward and are joined together at the front end, and form the tongue proper.

D is a cross-bar secured underneath the braces C, and has attached at either end the plates d, each provided with depending ears d', through which a bolt passes that secures the draft-rods G and G', that operate the harrow.

E are bars that are hinged at e to the bar D, and extend rearward over the axle, and converge so that they support the seat E.

F are supporting-bars, arranged, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, diagonally with the line ot' the axle, and are bent and twisted near the inner ends, so that the ends of opposing bars are about in line, and are fastened together, each pair respectively, by the bolts f, forming hinges.

G and G are draft-rods, and are preferably dat bars bent in the center, as shown inFig. 8, and provided with boltholes for securing Y them between the ears d', and twisted so as to lie iiatwise on the bars F, to which they are respectively attached at either end. The rods G are attached, respectively, to the front bars, and the rods G to the rear bars F. These draft-rods are thin, and have suicient elasticity to allow the two parts of the harrow sufficient movement on the hinge-boltsf.

H are the tooth -bars, and have a harrowtooth, h, attached to either end, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. To the central part of the bar is attached the spring h, the front and upper end of which is bolted to a supporting-bar, F.- The long draft-rods G pass under the forward supporting -bars and over the front bars,H, and are bent in such a manner that the rods do not conflict with either when the front or rear bars, F, are raised or lowered the limited distance required in operating the harrow. If the teeth that are supported from one bar F meet obstructions or inequalities of the ground that cause them to be raised or depressed, the teeth roo supported from the other bar F on the same side of the harrow are not affected thereby. If the harrow-tooth should be raised-as, for instance, in passing over a stone-kit would of course raise a trifle the end of the bar F from which it was, through the medium of the spring h and bar H, supported, and it would also cause a torsion of the said spring h, that would have a tendency to depress the oppo- 1o site end of the bar H, so that the tooth on the opposite end of the bar, by reason of these opposing movements-to wit, the raising of the bar F and the tilting of the bar H-would not be likely to materially change its position.

On the under side of the braces E are attaehed the boxes I, in which is journaled the shaft I', to either end of which is attached the part .I that consists of a portion or segment of a grooved wheel with a laterally-project- 2o ing wrist, j. To one of the parts J is secured the hand-lever K.

The chains L operate in the groove of the segment-wheel J, and are secured to the upper end thereof, and extend down and are attached to the bars M, one of`which is secured to either part of the harrow, so that by drawing the lever K rearward the harrow is raised, and may be elevated some distance from the ground. The connecting or push rods Z are 3o also secured to the bar M, and have long slots l at the upper end, that embrace, respectively, the wrists j. Vhen the lever K is drawn rearward, as aforesaid, the harrow is raised a greater distance by the chains than it would be raised by a connecting-rod, and the wrist j slides up along the slot Z. When the lever is 4moved forward, as the harrow engages the ground, the wrists j engage the connecting-rods at the bottom of the slots, and if the move- 4o ment of the lever is still continued forward the braces E and the seat will be raised from the axle, so that the weight of these parts and the operator will be supported from the harrow, which of course will force the harrow deeper into the ground.

The bars M, to which the chains L and the push-rods Z are secured, have elongated holes, through which the bolts pass that secure these bars to the bars F, and the nuts on these bolts 5o are not turned quite down, so that these bars do not interfere with the independent movement of the bars F, or, in other words, do not interfere with the iiexibility of the harrow.

The harrow-teeth are curved in the manner shown, and the parts that engage the ground are twisted and bent laterally, forming right and left handed teeth. The teeth on the rear tooth-bars on one side of the harrow are twisted in the same direction, and those in front on the same side of the harrow are twisted in the opposite direction, so that if the rear teeth on one side are right-handed those in front of them will be left-handed. With this construction the rear teeth track between the furrows of the front teeth, and the result is, the ground is evenly broken and left with a uniform surface consisting of a series of small furrows.

By detaching the cross-bar D from the wheelframe and the bars M from the harrow, a floating harrow is had, in which the karrangements and flexibility of parts are equally effective.

What I claim is- 1. vIn a wheel-harrow, supporting-bars from which the tooth-beams are supported and arranged in front and rear diagonally with the wheel-axle, and jointed inthe center, as shown, in combination with draft-rods forming independent connections between each supporting-beam and the wheel-frame, substantially as set forth.

2. In a wheel-harrow, the combination, with a series of supporting-bars and one or more tooth-bars yieldingly secured to each supportingbar, of draft-rods forming independent connectionsbetween each su pporting-beam and the wheel-frame, substantially as set forth.

3. In a harrow, the combination, with a series of beams, each provided with` teeth twisted or bent in the saine direction, and a series of supporting-bars, of flat springs, each of which is secured at one end to a tooth-beam and at its opposite end to one of the bars, and draft-rods forming independent connections between each supporting-beam and the draftframe, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two witnesses, this 25th day of July, 1884.

BENJAMIN MALTBY..

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. LYNCH, CHAs. H. DoRER. 

